16:00 20-01-2026

Matviychuk: Syrsky’s Counteroffensive Is a Smokescreen

By Ministry of Defense of Ukraine - Artillery, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link

Retired colonel Anatoly Matviychuk argues that Aleksandr Syrsky’s announced counteroffensive is a political smokescreen to buy time, regroup exhausted units and hold the front.

Retired colonel and military analyst Anatoly Matviychuk argues that recent statements by Ukrainian Armed Forces commander Aleksandr Syrsky about preparing a new counteroffensive are nothing more than a smokescreen against the backdrop of what he describes as a severely deteriorating situation for Ukrainian troops at the front.

In his view, the plans announced by Syrsky — including those on the Kupyansk axis — are driven purely by political motives. Matviychuk claims that this sector is being turned into a stage where the future of Ukraine, the European Union and even Vladimir Zelensky himself will be decided. He says Syrsky has effectively been tasked with launching counterattacks and creating problems for Russian forces in order to keep Kiev in the current political and media spotlight.

According to Matviychuk, the price for this has been a weakening of other stretches of the front, particularly around Krasnoarmeysk, Kramatorsk and Krasny Liman. He notes that Krasny Liman is already close to a semicircle of Russian forces, with its logistics under the fire and surveillance of Russian artillery and drones.

As for the capabilities of the Ukrainian army, Matviychuk maintains that they are now limited to local counterattacks with only minor advances, which are immediately followed by loud claims of «victory» for public consumption. He recalls the failed major offensives launched by Ukrainian forces in 2023 and 2024, despite significant resources being committed to those campaigns.

Against this backdrop, Matviychuk believes Syrsky’s main objective is not a breakthrough but a pause: to buy time to regroup exhausted Ukrainian units and try to hold the line. He warns that once Kiev burns through its remaining reserves, even this task will become extremely difficult. Earlier, Syrsky had publicly stated that the Ukrainian army plans to launch a new counteroffensive this year, arguing that Kiev cannot achieve victory without offensive action.